Nonprofits suffered this year. Starting in March when COVID-19 hit, it has been a nonstop game of survival, learning, pivoting and reinvention. Many strived and filled in gaps where the government failed and provided essential services to the most vulnerable. Many shuttered their doors awaiting the time when their missions became more relevant. And sadly, many closed, unable to weather the storm of loss of funding, loss of staff and lack of resources to continue their missions in the virtual world.

What has been made crystal clear is that the nonprofit sector played a critical role during the crisis and will continue to play a critical role in our recovery. So now is the time to take a breath and see what your nonprofit has learned from this year. How did you manage? How are you planning for the future when so many factors are uncertain? Do you see some signs of what the new normal will be?

After a year of being in crisis mode, take the time to be thoughtful about the coming year. Make the following New Year’s resolutions as we inch toward recovery. You will be stronger for it.

Review your by-laws to ensure that they sync with your practices. Virtual board meetings and voting may very well be around for a long time, so it is critical that your by-laws match your current practice. For example, do your by-laws allow for virtual meetings, email voting, etc.? Is your committee structure still relevant and serving the organization? Take the time to do a full review of the by-laws and amend and readopt if necessary. Also, be sure to check the nonprofit laws in your state to see what is permissible in terms of virtual meetings. Some prohibit it; some have allowed it for a period of time. What are the rules in effect, and are you compliant?

Examine your policies. Are your policies equitable? Did they work? Are they still relevant? Did you discover that you did not have adequate policies in place to deal with a crisis, working from home, governance, etc.? Review all of your organization’s policies through an equity lens. Make sure all the language is gender neutral and inclusive. Then rewrite them and readopt them.

Check for mission creep. If you have pivoted dramatically in terms of your mission and programs, make sure that the services you are providing do not fall outside of your Certificate of Incorporation.

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